Carriage-top



(No Model.)

R. L. KEITH CARRIAGE TOP.

K O T N E V N I ATTORNEY N. PETERS. Fhmo-hliwgnphar. Washingtm I10 warns NITED arnnr CARRIAGE TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,895, dated August 28, 1883.

Application filed August 8, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. KEITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bra zil, in the county of Clay and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefullinprovements in Carriage-Tops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object the improve ment in the means for raising and lowering a carriage-top, and at the same time to accom plish an improvement in the top itself, by which the top is made stronger and lighter and more capable of being easily removed from the carriage-body.

It consists in the arrangement of levers, a rocking bar, bows, and braces, as more particularly hereinafter described.

It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a carriage frame and top embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a side view in ele Vation; and Fig. 3, a detached sectional view, showing the connection of braces to the rocking bar.

In the drawings, A is a carriagebody, and b the seat-frame. The seatd'rameis provided with an outside supporting-rail, a.

B B are side arms connecting the body to the back of the seat I). To these arms, at the point z, are pivoted the bows D D D.

E is a rod or rocking bar, secured to the top of the seat-frame by straps j. On each side of the straps the rod may be provided with lugs to prevent it from sliding to and fro within the straps.

F F are levers. secured rigidly, by welding or in any other suitable manner, to the rod E.

G G g are jointed braces connected to the front bows, D D, in the usual manner. The large braces G G, at their lower ends, have round openings, by which they are secured to the stub-axle e of rod E.

H H are knee-braces, each of which, at its upper end, may be made in one piece with or otherwise united to the brace G, and its lower end provided with a square opening to fit securely on the square end of the stub-axle. The form of the stub-axle and the connections of the braces G and H therewith are shown in Fig. 3. An outside nut confines these braces in place. When the top is raised and stands upright, the levers FF lie at the sides of the seat, as shown in Fig. 1, and may be hid by the ends of the cushions. WVhen it is desired to throw the top back, either one of the levers is raised and the top thrown back in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In the ordinary construction of carriagetops when one desires to throw the same back while out of the carriage, it is necessary to loosen the brace on one side and then walk to the other side of the carriage and press back the brace on that side before the top can be let down; but by my construction the top is so balanced that by simply lifting either of the levers a slight distance the top tips easily back. The undue strain and wrenching always encountered when one side of the top at a time is forced back is thus also obviated.

I The knee-braces H H are supports, and act as fulcrums for the braces G G, so that very slight force only is necessary to be exerted on the levers to throw back the top or to raise it.

It will be noticed that the rocking bar is disconnected from what is known as the shifting-rail. This arrangement permits the top to be easily taken off by simply unscrewing the nuts 011 the ends of the stub-axle and at ihe point i; on the seat-rails; or the top and the levers and rocking bar can be removed by unscrewing the straps j.

The levers F are provided with handles f, which may be screwed on the ends of the levers, and this arrangement permits handles to be made of different materials, to be applied as may suit the taste of manufacturers or purchasers,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination, with a carriage-body, of the bows, the braces, and the rocking bar forming the frame of a carriage-top, with the knee-braces and the lever or levers, whereby the top may be turned down or up, or removed from the body, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a carriage-top, of the knee-brace with a rocking bar and-alever or levers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in WVitnesses:

JOHN W; Sins, G. W. F. SWARTZELL. 

